The Doctor in the Den tag
by tracgyrl
Summary: After the case is finished, Booth waits around for Brennan at the Jeffersonian, but somehow she leaves without him seeing her. He goes to her house later on that night, hoping to catch her awake.


As much as I loved Harbingers and as excited as I am for the new season, a part of me is really missing pre tumor removal B/B. So I thought I'd post my favorite one-shot that I wrote while Bones was on hiatus this summer. It's a tag for The Doctor in the Den. I realized after watching this episode when it re-aired that even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I really missed Booth and Brennan just being together...

**Title**: Untitled  
**Characters**: Booth, Brennan  
**Rating**: K/PG  
**Spoilers**: only for The Doctor in the Den  
**Disclaimer**: Bones and its characters belong to Hart Hanson, Josephson Entertainment/Far Field Productions and FOX. No copyright infringement is intended and No Profit is made.  
**Story Notes**: This takes place at the end of The Doctor in the Den  
**A/N**: This was simply written because I missed B/B in this episode

Booth knocks lightly on Brennan's door hoping that the light he'd seen from the street means that she's actually awake and not just that she'd fallen asleep reading an anthropology journal on her unbelievably comfortable couch.

Brennan answers the door quickly after checking the peep hole.

"Hey Bones, sorry it's so late." Booth moves to stand inside her door.

"It's OK, you didn't wake me. I couldn't sleep." Brennan turns, walking away from him toward her kitchen and Booth takes in her simple purple pajama bottoms and matching tank. The color is deep and rich in contrast to her pale skin.

"Is... everything OK Booth?" Brennan stops at her kitchen counter and rests her hip along the edge.

"Why'd you leave me at the Jeffersonian?" Booth flexes his shoulders around, an indicator of the long day he's had.

"What... you were still talking to Cam. I figured she needed you, I... didn't want to interrupt." Brennan looks down at her bare feet and clenches her lips together.

"Bones, I was waiting for you." Booth sounds petulant and then asks. "How'd you give me the slip anyway?"

"I guess I'm getting good at it." Brennan boasts quirking her mouth to the side proudly.

"Sneaking away from me... nah. I must've been in the bathroom." Booth refuses to give her any credit.

"Booth, I can surely... _goose out_ on someone if I want to." Brennan has been growing confident in her stealth abilities with the lessons she's been getting from him

"Goose... Bones. It's **_duck_** out... and I'm sure you can _duck out_ on anyone else, but not me." He has to admit to himself that she's a quick learner and suspects that his little student used one of his own maneuvers on him, but doesn't want to admit it. "I had my eye on your office the whole time. You must have _ducked out_ when I went to the bathroom." He cocks his head suspiciously and then accuses. "You waited for me to go to the bathroom, didn't you? Why would you do that?"

"I told you... I didn't want to interrupt." She folds her arms across her chest defensively and Booth decides to drop it for now. "I've only been here long enough to take a shower, anyway. Why did you come by?"

Booth decides to stop teasing her. "I don't like it when you're stuck in the lab. I really wanted you with me today, but I knew Cam needed to work this case." He puts one hand on his hip and furrows his brow seriously.

"I know." She says softly in that way that she does when she's attempting to be understanding, but she turns her head and looks down at her bare feet again and he can tell that she'd been doubtful.

"Doesn't mean I didn't miss you." He leans his face down toward her and smiles charmingly.

She returns his smile shyly at his admission. "I'm sure you and Cam worked well together. Easier than you and me... no bickering... both of you using your **_guts_**. You should probably start... taking her out on cases when I have to go out of town. I hadn't... thought about it before tonight, but..." Brennan's voice quivers a little as if she may be hurt as she trails off.

"Hey, Bones... just because Cam and I work well together doesn't mean she's a replacement for you. There's no replacement for you." Booth doesn't mean to, but gets a little upset.

"But you said that I'm always on the side of the facts... and that we constantly bicker and I'm a distraction- " She bites her bottom lip and her hands grip the counter behind her as Booth cuts her off.

"You **are** always on the side of the facts and that's why we always solve our cases... those **_facts_** put murderers in prison. And our bickering doesn't bother me in the least." He scoffs at his last statement and continues. "And Bones... you are **very** distracting, but not in a bad way." Booth rubs his face knowing that she's not going to understand.

"What, I don't understand, how can distracting you **_not_** be bad?" Brennan's face is now serious, ready to contradict him.

Booth doesn't attempt an explanation as another thought comes to mind. "Wait... what are you saying... that... you don't want to work with me anymore... you want me to start working with Cam?"

"No. I... see what just happened? I say something and you hear something completely different from what I said. Then you say something and I don't understand and you have to stop and explain. That doesn't... happen with you and Cam. You always... you always understand each other. And **_now_** you're both _parents_..."

"Temperance. Stop. Just... stop it." Booth is really frustrated and now he's starting to worry. "I don't want to work with Cam. OK. Not in the field. Cam's not my partner. I want my partner. I want **you**." His eyes close briefly before he sighs heavily and then asks. "Don't you want me too?"

Brennan pushes herself away from the counter and places a hand on his arm. "Of course, I want you."

"Good." He says before giving her his best charm smile, his momentary panic fleeing. "Because you are **_mine_**. I'm not letting you go."

She thinks about how possessive that statement is and almost refutes it, but then focuses on how the notion of belonging to someone... belonging to **_him_**... makes her feel warm and appreciated and decides not to lecture him... for now.

"OK now... I need a guy hug... because you just **_freaked_** me out." Booth admits, exhaling harshly. "I really thought you were pawning me off on Cam."

"I'm sorry..." Brennan says softly, before he steps toward her and places his hands on her waist. Pulling her into his chest.

"I don't know what you said to Camille, but thanks for convincing her to take Michelle." Booth thanks her as he lays his head against the side of hers and Brennan's arms go around his shoulders.

"I didn't do it just for Cam, I did it for Michelle too." Brennan admits as Booth's arms tighten around her waist.

"Cam would never have forgiven herself, if she'd let Michelle go into the system. That decision, it would have changed her. Thank you Bones." He thinks that he could go to sleep, just like this, standing in her kitchen, holding her.

Brennan doesn't feel like she's done anything worth thanking her for, but she sighs and says "You're welcome."

Booth sighs as well knowing he should pull back. Leave. Let her go to bed, but he makes the mistake of taking a deep breath of her intoxicating scent. "God, you smell... exquisite." He places his nose in the curve of her neck, beneath her ear. His breath whispers warmly and tickles her skin there and she shivers involuntarily.

Booth's arms pulls her even tighter against him in response to her shiver. "Is it perfume?"

It takes her a minute to answer him as she processes his compliment. "No, I don't wear perfume around remains... it must be my shampoo."

Booth rests his forehead against the side of her head again and she feels his fingers pulling the elastic band from her ponytail and her hair falls around her shoulders. He lowers his head along the side of her ear and inhales her heady fragrance deeply again. His breath shudders, caressing her ear lobe and her stomach quivers at the sensation. She feels his full body contact shift as he moves his hips back away from her and then pulls his arms away from holding her so tightly. She instantly misses their physical closeness, but thinks that maybe Booth has finally grown tired.

"Are you finally sleepy?" Brennan asks knowingly.

"Yeah I'm tired, now." Booth admits as he stifles a yawn.

Brennan looks to the clock on her stove and then her blue eyes find his warm brown gaze again. "It's going on 3am now. You could stay... the guest bed room is still made up for you. I mean... if you want to..." She breaks eye contact with him and wraps her arms around her body protectively.

Booth grabs her chin and lifts her eyes to him again. His face breaks out in that boyish teasing smile of his that reminds her of Parker. "Can I tuck you in and kiss you goodnight?"

"Booth..." Brennan softly slaps his arm before walking around him and heading in the direction of her bedroom.

Booth thinks he should stop teasing her about it and just shock her one day by following through as he walks around her apartment and shuts off the lights before going into the guest bedroom removing his suit and shoes. He flops down on the bed adjusting the pillows as his eyes grow heavy. His last thought is of the flush that colored her cheeks and the slight smile on her lips as he'd teased her before she went to her bedroom. "Soon Bones, soon." He says softly before closing his eyes.


End file.
